Magic in the Water
by Herochick007
Summary: After another horrible day, Neville goes to the lake to be alone. There he discovers a secret his classmate Hannah has been hiding. Will this form a new friendship between the two?


**A/N: I don't own Harry Potter**

**This is for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Season Challenges Autumn:**

**Days of the Year: ******18th November: Occult Day:****** Write a fic featuring a supernatural creature.**

**Tarot Cards: 9. Five of Cups - Write about loss. ALT, write about acceptance of something.**

**Bake a cake – Bake the cake – Butter - [Colour] Yellow**

**Ravenclaw Challenge: Trait – Accepting**

**September Monthly build a bear: 12 - (AU) Mermaid**

**Word count: 863**

"Wait, let me try this again, Blugus?" Hannah giggled splashing her fins. Neville still couldn't pronounce her mermaid name.

"Closer, Blugug, it's a very hard 'g' on the end," she explained.

"Blugug?" Hannah swam around in a circle clapping her hands. Neville smiled. He'd been trying to learn Hannah's language for nearly a week now. This was the first time he'd gotten it right. He had some trouble remembering how the letters sounded together, and the tenses of their verbs gave him a headache whenever he thought about them.

He had always suspected she was different. He'd never suspected she was actually a mermaid. He'd made that discovery by accident one late fall afternoon. Professor Snape had been making his life miserable as usual. Hermione had tried to stand up for him and ended up with detention for her trouble. He felt horrible about it. She was one of his only friends.

He'd come down to the lake to be alone, somewhere no one would see his tears. That was the last thing he wanted, was for them to realize how much of a baby he really was. He'd been sitting, head buried in his hands crying, when he'd heard it. It was a tiny sound. At first, he thought he'd imagined it, but then he heard it again, a little louder this time. It was an aquatic sound. The sound was something between a splash and a bubbling noise.

He raised his head and saw something large in the water. He stood up figuring it might be the giant squid. He'd never actually seen it, but he figured it might surface now. At least if he saw it, maybe he wouldn't be so afraid of it. Something about the fact it could reach its tentacles onto the surface scared him.

He hated being afraid of so many things; the squid, heights, Snape, and several other things he didn't want to think about. He looked out at the water. Slowly the large shape moved towards him, but seemed to decrease in side. That confused him for a moment. Suddenly the water shimmered and splashed up revealing the head and torso of a girl. Neville stumbled backwards, nearly tripping his own feet. He threw his arms up in the air to cover his eyes.

"Sorry! Oh my gosh, are you alright? I didn't know you were there. Are you alright? Wait... I know you!" Neville uncovered his eyes and realized he was staring straight at Hannah Abbott. Only she looked different than he remembered her. She was sitting on the shore wearing wearing a tank top and her hair was loose around her face. He couldn't see her legs because were still in the water. She raised a hand and waved at him and he realized there were webs between her fingers.

"Hi, Neville?"

"Yes, it's Neville. You're Hannah, Hannah Abbott."

"Yep, well that's my surface name anyway," she said. She nodded for him to come sit down next to her. He walked over and that's when he realized he couldn't see her legs because she didn't have any. Her legs had been replaced with scaly orange and yellow fish tail.

"You're a mermaid!" She raised her tail and splashed it back into the water.

"Yes, I am."

"But you seem... in class..."

"I can become human for periods of time, longer periods as I'm young. I've gotten permission to attend classes here since I have magic. Professor Dumbledore knows about the real me, so it's all sorted. After classes have finished I come back here and spend the evening and night at home. What brought you to the lake this afternoon? I thought I heard crying?" Neville sat down next to her, took off his shoes and socks and put his bare feet into the cool water of the lake.

"Professor Snape..." Hannah nodded.

"He's a gluulubus if I've ever met one," she stated. "Don't let him get to you."

"What was that word?"

"Gluulubus? I means... well, literally translated it means 'one who has faulty gills'. It's an insult of my people, like he's a nutter."

"Could you teach me mermish?" Neville asked suddenly.

"It's really hard for a land dweller, but I can try. How about we start with my name. In mermish, it's Blugug." Neville smiled and wondered why he'd never really talked to Hannah before. She was nice, and pretty, and apparently a mermaid. He wondered if anyone else knew besides the teachers. The idea of having a secret, something only the two of them knew cheered him up a bit.

"Are you planning to come to dinner?"

"I could if I'd like. Why?"

"Because, it's dinner time, I'm hungry and I would like to walk you to the castle." Hannah smiled brightly.

"I'd like that too," she replied climbing out of the water. Her fins slowly became legs, clothed in a pair of tights. "Just let me grab my robe. It's in that tree over there, same as my shoes. I always keep a spare pair of clothing on land just in case." Neville handed her her clothes and took her hand as they walked back towards the castle.


End file.
